Carmelo Anthony, Paul George Hype Cooper Flagg, Ace Bailey Ahead of 2025 NBA Draft

Former NBA superstar Carmelo Anthony and nine-time All-Star Paul George have been impressed with top 2025 draft prospects Cooper Flagg and Ace Bailey.

Anthony called Flagg "polished" and referred to Bailey as "raw" during a Monday appearance on Podcast P with Paul George, envisioning a potential fit with Bailey and the Washington Wizards (39:15 mark).

"Ace is the raw talent," George said.

Anthony, who was selected as a member of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame's class of 2025, also referred to Flagg as the "real deal."

"Cooper's nice," Anthony said (32:00 mark). "Cooper's the real deal."

"We haven't seen, in a while, somebody dominate every stop he went to," he added.

Flagg was impressive throughout his freshman season with Duke, averaging 19.2 points and 7.5 rebounds to go along with 4.2 assists per game on 48.1/38.5/84.0 shooting splits.

He stood out on both end of the floor, recording 1.4 steals and 1.4 blocks per game.

Bailey showcased his shooting prowess from all areas of the floor with Rutgers during the 2024-25 season, averaging 17.6 points and 7.2 rebounds per game while connecting on 46.0 percent of his field goals and 34.6 percent of his three-point attempts.

He previously compared himself to George at the draft combine.

In the latest mock draft from Bleacher Report's Jonathan Wasserman, the Dallas Mavericks were projected to add Flagg with the No. 1 overall pick and George's Philadelphia 76ers selected Bailey at No. 3 overall.

As both forwards navigate through the pre-draft process, they've already made a strong impression on current and former star NBA forwards.